Down the Stretch They Come…

David Wells, James Loney and the rest of the team came up big yesterday, putting the Dodgers in a pretty good spot heading into the weekend against the D’backs. While we’d obviously prefer to be in first place, there’s still optimism here that the team can get into the postseason and once that happens, you never know.

Also, hopefully this article will put to rest the endless calls for Grady’s demise in the comments of this blog. I have to say that I agree with everything Bill Plaschke wrote here and there’s a million more reasons why there should be no question who manages the team next year. Driving home last night, I actually thought about how difficult it has been to keep a team in contention all year given the injuries to Schmidt and Wolf and the unfulfilled expectations of many of the players this year. While you can agree or disagree with Grady’s lineups or in-game moves (and everyone is entitled to their opinions), I have the benefit of watching him every day and whether or not we go to the postseason, he’s done a heck of a job keeping the ship afloat, so to speak.

On that note, I also would like to post one last warning to anyone who continues to go overboard with their comments here. We simply will not tolerate the angry personal attacks that a very small number of you have chosen to post and going forward, if I see them again, that person will have their account blocked from posting on the site. As I’ve said repeatedly, you are allowed to disagree with anything and everything that you think the team is doing, but saying that anyone should be "burned at the stake on the field" or other such vicious statements is unacceptable. Period. Save that stuff for kindgergarten. Make your point (using facts) and move on. This has become a great online community and I hope that it will remain that way.

Also, I was very glad to see an old friend and mentor, Dan Evans, granted an interview for the GM opening in Houston. It reminded me that I meant to send out this link when the story came out earlier this week but I got sidetracked. It’s a story by the Houston Chronicle’s Richard Justice about Kim Ng and it hits the nail on the head. The fact that Kim isn’t a self-promoter has certainly hurt her public perception over the years but there isn’t a more qualified Assistant General Manager in the game when you consider what she’s done over the past 10 years. While it would be a huge loss for the Dodgers if she were to get a GM job, she most certainly deserves one given her track record and experience.

And finally, for those of you looking for some fun this evening, come on down to the stadium. We’ll be celebrating Tommy Lasorda’s upcoming 80th birthday and there are still a couple thousand tickets remaining. He posted a blog today about it, so check that out if you can’t come down and see the celebration for yourself.

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| September 13, 2007 11:00 AM

LOL I AM NOT PLASCHKE!!

I am not a Grady fan (I am indifferent) but lets look at this..Now of course the disclaimer is he could change the roster but I think Coletti and Ned are together on this..Meaning, would Grady really bench a 14 million dollar SS or a 9 million CF or a 10 million Nomar?

projected starting lineup

our 1-2 hitters are both below avg on base percentage guys this year

our 3-4-5 hitters are in their late 30’s and 2 are now part time players

our fielding has been weak. Grady can’t teach Pierre and Gonzo to have strong arms. He can’t make Kent move more than 3 feet etc, etc, etc..

we lost 2/5ths of our rotation by the All Star Break. We lost our best arm (allegedly) after 3 starts

He really only has 3 bullpen guys he can trust.

So I dont know guys, all in all it’s almost a miracle we are still in it.

I taped what Vin said last night and want to write it for you guys…I am capitalizing his emphisis (u guys no how vin talks. Always positive but also if you read between the lines…)

“Were talking about James Loney standing on 2nd base, what kind of a series has James had, he is now 8 for 11 with 7 rbi. James Loney, he was the fella who had a GREAT last year in the minors, had a GREAT spring training, after hitting .380 the year before in Vegas and they STILL decided to send him back and when they FINALLY decided to bring him up, he has been and INCREDIBLE contributor. Don’t forget he is now hitting .322….”

I have the benefit of watching him every day and whether or not we go to the postseason

I didn’t know the Dodger games are blacked out?Everyone in this blog watches every game. Grady and Ned created this and we should thank them for digging this team into a hole and the young guys rescuing the season.

Josh you are in the right to expect comments to be on the up and up and I for one apologize if I have gone overboard at times. I really appreciate this blog and the early posting – albeit frustrating – of the lineups.

I know that everyone has is own opinion about Glittle and Ned. But right now we have to be focus on reach the postseason. After the season is finished we can evaluate the job they have done, and say our opinion as a fan.

Thats my take Sergio and that’s why this article, coming out now is confusing and reeks of PR. But yes, let’s get to the post season….Max is that for real or your opinion. Gosh that would hurt us big time and if Logan leaves and we don’t counter with some sort of promotion then were screwed.

thanks Josh,
i for one have started to avoid this blog because of the constant anger expressed.after all having been a Dodger fan for 50 yrs. the one truth i’ve found is win or lose the next day i have to carry on with my life which is nondependant on the Dodger’s record.for people like me it’s just a game,why vent such rage against people like Ned and Grady. they are only doing a job. do i always agree? no but so what, the sun always rises tomorrow. please follow through with the blocking of accounts of those whose mom taught them no manners. thanks for the job you do and for the info we couldn’t get elsewhere.

Look, I grew up going to a few games a year as part of the pepsi fan club for kids. I continued to go to games when I could I always counted on the Dodgers being an affordable experience. But McCourt has dramatically raised ticket prices and parking and I think fans have a right to say what they want and to demand change if needed. 50% increase in parking in one year? Top deck seats that used to be $6 are now $12? What do fans have in exchange for this? Dodger fans deserve the best especially at these rates. Not to mention concession prices being absurd.

I am bitter. I used to see a better product at a better price, so it would be nice for someone in the front office to own up once in a while.

That Plaschke article is a joke. So we should just write off Grady’s “hunch” moves even though they defy the logical numbers and often hurt us? Those decisions seem to have a negative effect more times than not. It is a manger’s job to make the right, competent decisions consistently and Grady falls short on that one, so he deserves to take the heat. The Dodgers future is here and now and yet we’re worried about how a short term 40 year-old player feels about getting outperformed and benched? If anything, we should be embracing all of this young talent and worrying about keeping them happy, again Grady falls short on this account. Our sub-par performance this year (for the talent we have) is a direct result of Grady’s apparent incompetence and for that he does not deserve to call the shots next year. To defend him is inexcusable!

I do not want to get in an argument about this right now. But, this is the right move for this team. I’ll leave it at that. To some of you who don’t like Grady, that’s fine, you don’t have to like the manager. You just have to try to understand that being a manager is much more than making out a lineup. Anybody can do that, as evident by the hundreds of posts on here, including myself. There’s more to every story.

“With barely two weeks left in the season, his team is in a race despite fielding a lineup sometimes containing five guys who have never played a full major league season.”

I don’t really have an opinion about Grady Little. I just know that a good, honest writer would have put “because it is fielding…” instead of “despite,” and Josh should probably be careful about the opinions he adopts as his own, particularly when they come from a disreputable source.

The Nomar signing isn’t so much a mistake to me. The big mistake was sending Loney back to AAA for three months when Nomar easily could have played third. But, the team wanted to give Betemit an opportunity, which he failed to grasp. A task he’s failed everywhere he goes.

charris very well said, and we should be able to speak are minds.Scott you are absouletly right, ticket prices alone are ridiculous. I remember paying $18.00 for a good seat on the field level. And now you no for sure we are going to pay even more with all this other stuff going on at the stadium. We have been loyal for many years, we keep going to the games, paying 5 bucks for a hot dog, 5.50 for bottled water. When are the dodgers going to fess up and give us a championship. I’m 36 years old, going on 37, the last time we won i was 17, a couple of thousand dollars later, some dodger dogs, a couple of hats and t-shirts. And we still have to put up this PR business, not accetable, blame should be placed where blame is deserved!!!!!!!

Dodgers hire a new manager for making out lineups and pinch hitting for the pitcher’s spot.

Dodgers keep Grady as “Clubhouse Manager” and “Player Liason”.

I’m not saying I don’t want Grady as my next door neighbor as he seems like a nice guy, but I think you can’t ignore decisions made during games that cost the team wins. Isn’t that the bottom line? Keeping all the players semi-happy and almost making the playoffs is good enough?

Are we supposed to believe that there is no one out there that is good at both behind the scenes managing AND field managing? Give me a break.

So..we all need to get over the fact that Grady isn’t going anywhere..Whatever you think about Plashcke’s article, one thing that he said was he already asked Ned if Grady would be back..and the answer was YES!!!..Now we need to focus on being sure they keep Logan White…That is a must!!!!

I missed that part fan7. My bad. But you can’t ignore what he also said. The starters got hurt (i dont think that’s bad luck, its poor choices in personell and our projected 3-4-5 hitters are a JOKE by MLB standards.

We know they (kids) are better but it is true that not to many teams fielding a lineup of 5 guys who have never played a full season are in a posistion to win right?

—

What is the right move for the team Alex? Grady as manager? I was confused at your post. I am sorta with you and were a miniority regarding Grady. Like I say, I am mostly indifferent and put most of the blame on the roster, not the manager.

As for Nomar. They couldn’t play their 10 million dollar china doll at 3b or he would get hurt. Which he has….but yes I agreee It would be better to say that Loney not starting the year at 1b cost us the pennant.

This is only my 2nd time posting, though I read the blogs everyday. Just want Dodger mgmt to know it’s not just a small group of fans who think Grady should be fired. I’ve followed every game this season and as much as I wanted to support Grady, I’ve now concluded he needs to go. Plaschke gives Grady a lot of credit for managing veteran egos and youngsters’ insecurities. Well hello, that’s what a manager is supposed to do! I’ve been a Dodgers fan for 30 years and I miss Lasorda’s passion, aggressive Dodgers baseball (when Furcal and Pierre are both on, do some double steals!), intelligent in-game manuevers (like when to pull a pitcher).
When I look at the Padre and DB lineups, I think our’s is so much more talented up and down to the 8th batter. We shouldn’t be fighting for wild-card at this stage, we should be comfortably in 1st place. Every team has to deal with unexpected injuries. That’s part of the manager’s job.

FIRE GRADY! Is there any way to get Mike Scioscia back in Dodger blue, esp for the 50th anniversary?

And finally, I agree with the comment about the outrageous prices at Dodger Stadium. $15 for parking when you have no other choices??

This is LA, we fans pay top dollar, and we deserve a championship team!!

This is great….I’m on an ESPN chat with Jayson Stark and someone asked” Will Coletti bench the red hot James Loney for an aging vet?
And Jayson said” from what I hear, Ned wouldn’t even trade him for Texeira..the consensus is, he’s already the best player on that team..”..so don’t worry he said..

Yeah jungar, I think its hilarious the way Vin always sneaks a bit of cynicism into his shtick…James Loney has one of the sweetest swings in baseball (not to mention a great glove) and if he stays healthy he’ll be a .300 , 30 HR, 100 RBI guy every year. The Dodgers hit the jackpot with this guy.

Jon Weisman over at Dodger thoughs asked this question..it’s a good question..

Is the way the Dodgers limit the playing time of their young players at the outset of their careers an actual contributor to their ultimate success? Or are the Dodgers just missing out on opportunities to cash in on their prospect fortune?

I think last year was the obvious transition year and definitely Loney, Ethier and maybe Kemp were ready to start this year with the big club. Why 2 transition years then? How many transition years did Pujols and A-Rod need? If you’re ready you’re ready. Bills was awesome under pressure in the playoffs last year and continued to look great in the Spring. Were all of us just lucky to be right on about these guys? I think it was more of being plain obvious to anyone not blinded by veteran myopia.

I admit I had my doubts about Wells after the signing. It’s a pleasant surprise how well he’s done so far. The old guy has stepped up, and is still a tough competitor. I’m just worried about what I read in the rotation news about having him pitch on 4 days rest, then coming in again next Saturday on 3 days rest to face the Dbacks. That is ALOT to ask of the man. I’m hesitant to believe he’s in that kind of condition.

I guess management is worried about a mutiny by Dodger fans. They are obviously reading this blog and are concerned over the displeasure with Grady Little. With Plaschke’s article today and then Josh laying down the law to the nay sayers, management is trying to do some damage control. We won’t get Grady fired by posting it here on this blog how dissatisfied we all are but it’s good to see that we got someones attention. Josh, you cannot prevent us from our opinions and although our views of Grady are different from yours, they sign your check, we all have 1 common interest and that is the Dodgers. We as fans have a passion for this team that no one, you or Grady or Ned or Frank or anyone can take away from us. I can see your point about posting rude or threatining comments or calling people offensive names, we’ll give you that, but the bottom line is the Dodgers are in the situation they are in because of Grady’s bad decision making during games. If every body in management is so pleased with him, why not offer him an extension now and not let him be a lame duck manager next season and risk the chance of him leaving us for the Yankees when Torre retires after ’08. Anyways, go Dodgers!!!
FIRE GRADY!!!!!!! Please. Pretty please.

I’m o.k. with Grady coming back, but as a fan of the team, I really have to say I hope he address the running situation in spring training, & to be even more frank I hope some of the coaching staff gets replaced this off season, I hate to admit it but that’s how I feel.

“Loney, with four runs batted in, was angrily in the minors until June 10. But Little helped him lose that anger in his swing.”

I’m not even sure what this is supposed to mean … “helped him lose his anger with his swing”??? Apparently Plaschke somehow believes that holding Loney back has helped him improve as a hitter. Suffice it to say that James Loney was well on his way to being a great hitter (.380 Batting average to lead all minor leaguers last year, 18 RBI in 102 ABs in the majors also last year) well before Grady and Ned sent him to AAA despite proving beyond all doubt that he was ready for a full year in the Big Show.

Ned can tell Plaschke that Grittle will be back, but it is our DUTY as loyal fans to make it ABUNDANTLY CLEAR to Colletti and McCourt that the retention of a guy who is demonstrably a terrible field manager is UNACCEPTABLE.

I agree that it’s been tough with all the injuries, but that doesn’t excuse bone head manager moves during the game…taking pitchers out too early…or not taking pitchers out when they need to be yanked and pinch-hit for.

Suffice it to say that the Dodgers are in playoff contention not BECAUSE of Little’s managment, but IN SPITE OF IT.

Yes, the team has suffered some injury setbacks. But it is obvious to anyone that had James Loney and Matt Kemp been regular starters throughout the season, we would be at the very least leading the Wildcard right now.

The fact that Grady continues to cave to older and/or overpaid players like Luis Gonzalez does not impress me. Gonzalez just needs to deal with the fact that he’s in the twilight of his career, and is no longer the best option in Left Field or high in the batting order. Supposedly at his age, Luis is mature enough and professional enough to understand this. He should just get enough action to avoid rust. Generally the same goes for Garciaparra.

As for his insistence on starting Pierre everyday, even with Pierre’s recent decent offensive production he is such a huge defensive liability that it is clear that both Ethier and Kemp provide more to the team than Pierre.

It is Pierre and Gonzalez who should be platooning, not Kemp and Ethier.

And allowing Esteban Loaiza to bat after throwing 49 pitches and allowing 4 runs in 2 innings while a heavily stocked September bullpen was available with the bases loaded against the probable Cy Young winner in a crucial game against our most direct post-season opponent was among the stupidest managerial moves I have ever seen. The only comparable Dodgers managerial move was when Lasorda pitched to Jack Clark in Game 6 of the 1985 NLCS in the ninth year of Lasorda’s tenure. Oh, and of course Grady’s own Pedro Martinez debacle.

Bill, I have been a Dodger fan as long as I can remember — 40-plus years — and I have never before called for a Dodger manager to be fired (although I did call for the aforementioned Clark’s head when he was our hitting coach). Grady Little appears to be a very nice guy who knows a lot about baseball. There is a place for him in baseball, but that place is clearly not as a major league manager.

Maybe we need a poll taken at the games or by a news paper where you can get the 4 million fans that attend games to vote on what they think of the existing management ,that might wake up the powers to be if 2 million fans said they need to go and 46 fans thought batting a picture with bases loaded and two outs was good baseball

Not just stinking it up. Four runs down after two! That was what turned me for good against Grady. There were many other poor decisions made before this. But that one took the cake. Now I’m considered to be on the ‘Dark Side.’

grady should have been treating that Peavy game like a playoff game and not like an early season game trying to maximize SP innings. Just plain stupid and not the first dumb move hitting a pitcher. We could classify Grady’s dumb moves into several categories and there would be several listings under each one. Pathetic.

One of my recent posts overstepped the boundaries for decent discourse concerning our team’s management, and Josh properly called me on it. I have apologized to him personally for that overzealous expression on my part, and I also apologize to anyone on this forum for anything I’ve contributed in bad taste. That having been said, I still contend that the best course for the Dodgers is to FIRE COLLETTI AND FIRE GRADY.

I’m hoping the Mets beat up on the Phillies the next 3 games, same with the Gnats against the Pads, and the Dodgers take at least 2 of 3 from the Snakes. Once the boys in blue get to the top of the wild card heap, hold it.

Here’s something positive: Promote Logan White. And let him pick his manager. Josh makes a good point about players not living up to expectations. Well, Ned has unrealistic expectation of these past-their-prime vets that everyone else could see. Logan’s Heroes (the kids) on the other hand have met or exceeded their expectations. See any trends here? Put Logan in charge, for Pete’s sake.http://promoteloganwhite.wordpress.com/

Although I read these posts nearly every day, this is my first time in the proverbial batters box. I’m writing today to express my concern regarding Josh’s adopted opinion regarding the state of the Dodgers management via Bill Plaschke. Let’s not forget what Plaschke’s job is; namely selling newspapers. Bill Plaschke has made a name for himself by expressing the unpopular opinion whether he believes it or not; that’s what he does. He pisses off fans on purpose because he knows they’ll read is article. He may be controversial but he’s not an idiot. He knows full well that true Dodgers fans are tired of Little’s act, otherwise he’d never have written the story in the first place. He knows that any Dodgers fan who comes across an article titled “Little’s act should, and will, continue” is going to read the article; if for nothing else, to discover what kind of idiotic reasoning is behind standing up for baseball’s equivalent to Kato Kaelin. Grady Little should be fired, and although I’m not nearly as offended by the job Colletti’s done, he should be following Little right out to the parking lot. ****, he should be canned for not firing Little. Josh, I thank you for affording true Dodgers fans a forum to vent. Normally I dig your positive outlook, however, you cannot convince me that in the privacy of your own home you aren’t screaming at him through the TV like the rest of us. Let Plaschke sell his papers and let Colletti and Little move on to sabotage another team.

yeah, good point. Some of Plaschke’s articles I have agreed with (like not trading the kids, at least he was right about that). But to think that Little is the man for the job is absurd. He’s demonstrated again and again with his wacky lineups and in game decision making (with Plasschke mentions) that he should go. The teams (relative) success in definitely in spite of him and the majority of signings Colletti has made. I’ll say it again, without the young guys we would be the Giants. Maybe even worse. Maybe that’s what Colletti wants, I wouldn’t be suprised.

For me, it’s the frustration that our playoff hopes are hanging by a thread and feeling that Loney and Betemit or LaRoche had started at 1B/3B all season, that if Kemp and Ethier had started in the corners instead of Gonzo, if Billz was put into the rotation early on instead of Tomko/Hendrickson we would be a few or more games ahead. While I do not like Grady’s constant line-up shifting, I have more of a problem with the roster he’s been dealt. I just cannot get past two years for Nomar and giving up (on) Betemit for and admittedly over-worked Proctor when we had other options in our own system. I get that he sometimes feels like he has to do something, but be bold, man, and give the kids a chance. We don’t need over the hill vets when we have veteran leadership and experience from Kent, Penny, Lowe, Furcal, Liberthal, and (groan) even Pierre. That’s a lot of championship experience.

I don’t have a problem with Plascke, I read his articles regularly and find him somewhat entertaining on ESPN’s Around the Horn, having said that, I believe today’s article was just a ploy by Dodger management to settle the herd. They went to Plaschke, knowing that a lot of people read him, and asked him to put a positive spin on a situation the even the Dodgers have to know is getting out of control. I will say this for the 3rd time today, where is Grady’s extension if management is so happy with him? I don’t think Colletti is to blame for the on field errors of Little, but at some point Colletti has to accept the fact that mistakes have been made and that the best way to get back on the good side is to correct them. I just feel that Grady is the kind of person better suited for a front office or scouting job, not managing.

The Dodgers are right now in talks with Ned Colletti about a contract buyout. There are rumors that the new GM who the dodgers want goes by the name Swood and he is only 16. There have been rumors that swood has already engaged in talks with San Diego about a possible Juan Pierre trade. There is a nation wide search to identify this new GM who goes by the name Swood. If any of you happen to know who this is, email immediately and I will forward it to Plaschke.

The Dodgers are right now in talks with Ned Colletti about a contract buyout. There are rumors that the new GM who the dodgers want goes by the name Swood and he is only 16. There have been rumors that swood has already engaged in talks with San Diego about a possible Juan Pierre trade. There is a nation wide search to identify this new GM who goes by the name Swood. If any of you happen to know who this is, email immediately and I will forward it to Plaschke.

A southern california man is dead in his home today at the age of 27. There is suspicion that the man was killed by a mob of angry dodger bloggers who were furious with the man because he claimed to have liked the Juan Pierre signing. We have been unable to identify the victims real name, he was carrying a drivers license but there was no real name on it, apparently the victim had been going by the name diehard since baseball season started…

I would rather Dan Evans be our GM again. Who put these old geezers on this team and blocked the young productive players? And who fails to to use these good young productive players everyday because of his having to satisfy washed up vets? Ned and Grittle that’s who. Fire them both. This management is incompetent and are satisfied with being mediocre.

Concerning your possible engagement as the Dodger GM – since you’re only 16 years old and therefore underage for signing a valid contract, I’d be glad to offer myself as an assistant for the purpose of signing those contracts that you might direct. However, I would have to insist that I would not sign a contract with Grady Little except in the possible capacity as a parking lot attendant. We definitely do not want him to be inside the stadium in any capacity.

Bill Plaschke is a hack and for the most part so are the beat writers who cover the Dodgers. They NEVER ask the tough questions and only lob softball questions at Grady and Ned. For once, I’d like Ned to step up and say “I goofed for not bringing Loney up and I goofed for giving Nomar a two year, 20 million dollar. Next year Nomar will be the most overpaid utility man in baseball. And we will still be stuck with Grady and Ned. Plaschke is the propaganda voice of the Dodgers. It’s obvious someone from PR coaxed in to write a “nice” article for the Dodgers. Bottom line: Dodger fans are sick of this management and want a change, regardless of what Josh or Plaschke think.

I don’t think it was Grady that was 6-100 with runners in scoring position during that stretch in August. Not to mention 2 of those hits didn’t score runs. Replace that with a modest 26-100 and we win a couple of those 1-0 or 3-1 games and we are in first place right now.

Are you people still going to be so pesimistic when the Dodgers open up the playoffs with an 18-4 Brad Penny on the hill that can pitch twice in a five game set? The Bills can start the LCS. No …**** no let’s fire the freakin’ manager…..Napolian Dynamite”Idiots”

I just wanted to sort of repeat yesterday’s comment. I think the problem with some of these comments is the incretable fear of defeat and lack of faith in the team. I will also like to add that a number of guys seem to be trying to get off their frustration by blaming somebody for all their trouble.

I’m not sure it’s a lack of faith in the team as it is, with me at least, by being so emotionally involved with my team (the heart) and having it ripped to shreds. This is where the head needs to take over and try to rationalize it.

I always used to think “Why do coaches (and even GMs) get fired when it’s the guys on the field who aren’t producing”. You always here players say that when the coach gets fired. I’m now beginning to see why coaches get fired. GMs were a little easier to see why.

TO ORTH___JOSEPH My name happens to be Joe Pierre and I’m sort of proud of the way I created my e-mail address. It simply means a loyal Dodger fan living in Brooklyn.
I don’t follow your comment, maybe it’s my fault, but If it means what I think it means I disagree that this team has been ripped to shed, I honestly believe it has improved itself.

Message to Josh: Kudos for trying to police this blog, although it shouldn’t even be that way. Assuming that everybody here are adults, the inability of some to just accept other people’s differing opinions, or day after day calling for heads to roll, even though in the reality we live in, they have no say as to whom the Dodgers organization hires or fires. I agree with you, leave the vitriol and the aggressiveness in kindergarten.

Message to the Bloggers: (Yes, you know who you are)

How egocentric do some of you think you are to believe that you have the power to influence these management decisions, i.e., firing Grady Little, or Ned Colletti, or whoever else you feel are not doing what you (not the Dodgers) want to see. Frankly, I’d like to see some of these bloggers put their money where their mouths are. If only it’d be possible to have each of you that gripe about Grady every single day to fill in Grady’s shoes for even just one series. Sure, it’s easy for us to sit back and second guess everything he does but he has to make decisions as they’re happening on the field. He knows more about what’s happening to his players off the field than we do. Frankly, there are only a few present day managers out there that I can count on one hand that are as calm and as composed as Grady, given some of the situations they’ve been in. Yes, we know you hate the guy, want to see him fired, and you write about it every single day. But the worse thing is I don’t think I’ve ever read anyone giving him any kind of kudos for whatever success the Dodgers have had this year.

I wish I lived closer to LA to come to the games as I did when I lived there. Dodger Stadium to me will always be this special place because I love the game of baseball, the Dodgers, and because of the fans that truly, truly love the Dodgers.

I live and die with the Dodgers, and if things don’t go as well as we’d hope this season, I take the mantra of the Brooklynites: Wait till next year. These kids they have ARE REALLY, REALLY GOOD.

So lighten up people, enough with the pessimistic, blaming attitude, and be more forward thinking.

Wow, the groundhogs attack again. Don’t you people understand that the cost of tickets is directly related to the cost of players !!! This is a business and not a non-profit organization. The cost of parking went up because most of you complained about having to wait to long to get out. So McCourt did something about it, and it cost a ton to do it, so your cost went up !! If you can’t handle it stop going, stay home!!! And, BTW I hate Plaschke but this guy hit it dead nuts and Ned told it like it is. Again if your so pissed off, go elsewhere for your entertainment, but just go !!

aiea6 — I don’t think any of us is egotistic enough to think that individually we could influence management decisions. But I do believe that hundreds of thousands of loyal Dodger fans COLLECTIVELY can and should have an effect on Dodger management.

Remember, WE ARE THE CUSTOMER. The old saying says,”The customer is always right.” And when this many customers are dissatisfied with a product, or a feature of that product, a good business responds. Here, many, many customers/Dodgers fans are expressing a grievance — the performance of Grady Little. If the company/Dodgers choses not to make changes based on our grievances, they would be wise to concede that our opinions have some value and at least justify to us customers/fans the reasons they chose not to do so rather than to simply ignore us.

I don’t expect any action on this front until after the season, but I do expect Ned to in some way address the situation after the season closes.

Also, remember that baseball holds a special position in American culture as a “Public Trust”. This is both a sociological position, and a legal one. It is the reason, for instance, that baseball is exempt from Anti-Trust laws and why Chavez Ravine was handed over to the Dodgers for next-to-nothing (maybe nothing, I’m not 100% clear on those facts).

So, YES. DODGERS MANAGEMENT HAS A CIVIC DUTY AND A BUSINESS RESPONSIBILITY TO RESPOND TO FAN WISHES.

Spoken like a true lawyer martinloneykemp@hotmail.com, except they don’t owe you an explanation and you don’t deserve an explanation. This is a winning team, 2 years straight !! That’s their explanation, nothing more is needed. That’s what you were promised and that’s what your getting. Like tonight against AZ, a win !!! By a talented team with a talented Manager and a talanted GM !!

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